Improvement in upright piano-fortes



G. W. NEILL.

UPRIGHT PIANO-FORTE'.

, No.183,773. Patented Oct.31,1876.

.F1/yl c "d" l W E 'uw @g2 ggig @El mmm OlmL 107 J O i i 1 l k a O Fiyi d Fay @E UlvrrEo STATES PATENT QEErcE.

'a Sons, oE SAME PLAGE.

IMPROVEMENT IN UPRIGHT PIANO-FORTES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 183,773, dated October 31, 1876; application filed April 24, 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, GEORGE W. NEILL, of Boston, of the county of Suffolk and State of lMassachusetts, have made a new and useful Invention having reference to Upright Piano Fortes; and do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the following specification and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figures l and 2 are front elevations of a piano-case provided with my invention, the rst of said figures showing the case as closed and the other exhibiting it as open. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the piano-case as open. Fig. et is a perspective view of the folding music desk or supporter.

In most if not all the upright pianos as heretofore made the fall or key cover, when turned up, has been used as a rest for supporting' the sheet or book of music, such fall being constructed concave for such purpose. This has been very objectionable, for various reasons, particularly in it not affording the requisite support, to prevent the sheet of music from crippling or dropping down in a curved form.

In carrying out my invention, or that part thereof which has particular reference to the music desk or supporter, I make such desk to close into a recess in the front, or to constitute part of the front of the piano-case, and I construct such music-supporter in two portions, plates, or boards hinged together and provided with one or two arms or struts xed to the lower portion, the said supporter being at or near its upper edge, pivoted to the next adjacent vertical part or parts of the front.

I also compose the key fall or cover of two parts hinged together, one, as shown, being quadrantal and recessed in transverse section, and the other concavoconvex in such section, such cover being pivoted at its two opposite lower corners to the case. The. quadrantal part I usually provide with a lip or flange, arranged with and extended from it in manner as represented in the drawings, such lip being to serve as a stop to arrest the cover when thrown open or back. Furthermore, I make the case with a chamber to receive such cover, and with a shelf over such chamber, such shelf terminating in rear against the portion of the front of which the music-desk constitutes a part.

The shelf suffices for the support of sheetmusic, books, lamps, or other articles, and to enable the musicsupporter to be brought forward into an inclined position ,without coming directly over the keys.

In the drawings, the music desk or supporter is shown at A, as arranged within that portion ofthe front of the pianocaseB, which is above the keys C and their cap or Shel'f D.

Fig. 5 is an elevation, and Fig. 6 a transverse section, of the front board or frame a in which the desk is arranged, and to which it is hinged, such front board or frame being constructed with an opening', niche, or recess, f, to receive the desk in order for its anterior face to be flush or even with the front Surfaces of those parts of the frame which are on its anks. The front board a, as well as the larger board b of the music-desk, I usually perforate ornamentally, and subsequently line them with silk. This desk, arranged as shown, is composed of one wide board, b', and one narrow one, c, the two being hinged together at d d. There is extended back from the lesser board one or two arms or struts, e c. At its` upper edge the board b is hinged to the front ofthe case. When thrown out for supporting a book or Sheet of music, the desk has its lower board c turned at a right angle with the larger one, b', thestrut or struts resting against the lower part of the recess or niche f. The key fall or cover is shown at F as composed of the qnadrantal part or pivotal name-board g and the concavo-convex part h, the said part g being recessed or hollowed on its arcal side to receive the part h when the latter is folded back upon such part g. The two partsg h are hinged together, andthe part g has a lip or flange, t, extended from it, in manner as shown. This ange, when the cover is turned back, brings up against the front edge of the shelt` D. This shelf constitutes the cap of the chamber or space k, into which the cover F is received when turned back so as to bring its namesurface vertical.

From the above it will be seen that I have pivoted the name-board to the case, and provided such name-board with an extension, m,

which, when'the naine-board is turned down over 01' into parallelism with the keys, is brought into a position to fill the opening or mouth of the chamber, into'which the com! er, and applied to the case essentially as set forth.

2. The music-desk A, substantially as described, composed of the two boards or plates, b c, and one or more arms or struts, e e, arranged and applied as set forth.

3. The music-desk A, hinged at its upper part to the front of the case, in combination with the said front, provided with an opening orniche to receive the said desk, in manner substantially as specified.

4. The combination of the shelf D with the music-desk A, as described, hinged at its up- -per part to the front of the case, and with the said front provided with an opening or niche for reception of said desk, as set forth. 5. The combination of the shelf D with the music-desk A, as described, and the compound' fall F and its chamber k, all arranged With the keys as set forth.

6. The compound fallF, com posed of the two parts g h, applied as described, and the lip or flange i, extended from the quadrantal portion, all being as set forth.

7. The naine-board, pivoted to the case, and

Vprovided with the extension m and the lip or ange z', all as set forth.

GEO. W. NEILL.

Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY, J. R. SNOW. 

